A letter of the past
by Stained Bloodless
Summary: Paige finds a letter from her past. What will she do? Read & Review please! CHAPTER 3 NOW UP 16th December
1. The Letter

Disclaimers: I do not own any of these characters, unfortunately. You all know whose they are.  
  
A/N: I really, really like reviews! If I don't get any reviews, then I shan't update! Meh!  
  
iTo my darling daughter,  
  
I do not know when you will get this letter - or if your adoptive parents will even ever give it to you. I hope, for all of our sakes, that they do. At this very moment, I am sitting in the car, next to your father, driving to the church where we will give you up. I cannot imagine the anger you must feel towards us, for abandoning you, but you must realize that it is for your own sake.  
  
I don't like to drop this bombshell on you on one piece of paper, in writing, but there is no other way to get in contact with you. The reason we left you in the hands of the church is for something so bizarre that I do not know if you will even believe it, so I will not say it here.  
  
You have three sisters - their names are Prue, Phoebe, and Piper. They currently live at 1321 Prescott Street with me and your father, in San Francisco. I hope that one day soon, we shall meet again.  
  
There is so much to tell you that I cannot fit in this letter, for we are drawing near to the church. I beg of you, one day, to swallow the anger and come and find us. Your family.  
  
All my love,  
  
Your mother,  
  
Patty Halliwell./i  
  
Folding up the letter, Paige stared at the wall, her face creased into a frown. She had known that she was adopted - her parents had told her as soon as she was old enough to understand, and she had always assumed that she had been orphaned, as Mr and Mrs Matthews had never once mentioned why they had adopted her. Yet, this letter was proof that she had never been orphaned - far from it. She had two parents now, and three sisters? Bewildered, Paige threw the letter on her desk and fell back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, she felt as if she were being torn in two - one of her was a complete stranger, and the other was wallowing in self pity. Scowling, she glared at the wall, and rolled over onto her stomach, resting her chin on her hands. What would her adoptive parents do if she went looking for her real parents? Would they be hurt, or angry?  
  
Paige felt hurt and angry herself, there was no denying that. She knew nothing about her past, and all of a sudden her future was misty. Thousands of questions ran through her thirteen-year-old brain. Would she ever meet up with her biological parents, or find her sisters? Or would she spend the rest of her life with the Matthews', secretly wondering if this Patty Halliwell would have been a better mother? There was no denying that Olivia Matthews was a wonderful mother, and Paige loved both her Mom and Dad, but she needed to know more about the Halliwells. Her real family.  
  
Sliding off the bed, Paige stuffed the letter with the address of the Halliwells into her jeans pocket and pulled a bag out from under her bed. She had some searching to do. 


	2. Walk Out

Disclaimers: Ah, I own Cassandra and the Professor, no one else. *sobs* All Charmed people are owned by the people that own them, not me. Hehe.  
  
A/N: Don't remark on the first sentence. I can't remember math. It was random words strung together. LOL.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
"The square root of forty-five can be subtracted by the." Professor Bevvington droned on to the bored class, scribbling formulas and numbers on the blackboard at a great pace. Paige leant forwards, resting her chin on the palm of her hand, and stared at her desk, deep in thought about her biological family. She felt someone nudge her shoulder and turned to see her best friend Cassandra Stevens looking at her in concern.  
  
"Paige, are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah. Why?"  
  
"You totally zoned out."  
  
"No, I was just - thinking." Paige replied in a whisper, glancing up at the front to see if the professor had heard them talking. He had his back to the class now, concentrating hard on writing a sequence of numbers, and the other students were busy in their own activities.  
  
"About what?"  
  
Paige shrugged, not willing to tell her secret, at least not yet. "Nothing, really."  
  
"C'mon, Paige. We're best friends. We tell each other everything."  
  
With a reluctant sigh, Paige picked up her pen and started tapping it on her text book for distraction as she spoke. "You know I was fostered, right?"  
  
Cassandra nodded slowly. "Yeah."  
  
"Well - I found this letter. From my biological mother. It had her address on it. I don't know whether to go and - see them."  
  
The fourteen-year-old blinked, surprised. "Whoa. Now that is what happens in films, not real life. I say go for it."  
  
"What if they don't like me? What if my foster parents find out and throw me out?"  
  
"First off, who couldn't like you? Secondly, Paige, your foster parents took into account that one day you'd find your biological parents when they adopted you, knowing you weren't orphan. They wouldn't throw you out, of course not."  
  
Sighing deeply, Paige doodled on her algebra text book. "I'm just - the letter said I have three sisters. They could be people I know - or total bitches that will make my life hell. Or even worse I might really like them and then never get to see them again."  
  
Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Paige, you worry way too much. How many times have I told you that?"  
  
Paige giggled. "Oh, at least four or five times a day."  
  
"Right, okay, now you listen, and you listen good, missy. Stop listening to all these questions inside your head. The only way you're going to get them answered is to go and see your family. So what are you gonna do?"  
  
Jumping up, Paige grinned. "I'm gonna go and see them."  
  
"Miss Matthews! Sit down!" Professor Bevvington bellowed.  
  
"Wait. now?"  
  
Paige looked at Cassandra, her eyes dancing with mischief. Giggling, Cassandra grabbed her bag and leapt to her feet.  
  
"Miss Matthews! Miss Stevens!"  
  
"Sorry, Professor." Paige said quickly, darting out of the room, and giving the teacher a cheeky wave.  
  
"I demand you girls get back in here now!"  
  
"Walk out!" An idiotic boy yelled, running out after the two friends. There was a clatter of chairs, books closing and the entire class piled out, ignoring the professor's furious yells.  
  
"See what you did." Cassandra whispered to Paige as they ran down the steps to the bus stop.  
  
"Oh, well, that's life." Paige reached into her bag and pulled out several notes.  
  
"So - where are you going?" Cassandra asked casually.  
  
"San Francisco."  
  
"San Francisco?! Paige, that's like - ten hours away! Your parents are gonna freak."  
  
"So I'll phone them. I've got my cell." Paige gave Cassandra a quick hug. "I'll come back as soon as I can. And - thanks, Cass."  
  
Cassandra watched as Paige boarded the bus, and ordered a ticket to the coach station. She raised her hand in a sad sort of wave. "Take care, and don't do anything that I wouldn't do!" 


	3. A Journey To The Past

Disclaimers: Ah, I own Cassandra and the Professor, no one else. *sobs* All Charmed people are owned by the people that own them, not me. Hehe.  
  
Chapter Three - A Journey To The Past  
  
Paige stared out the coach window, watching the snowflakes sticking to it, and traced her fingers across the cold glass, her heart aching. It was only two weeks until Christmas - and she had no idea now who she would be spending it with? People she was related to but knew nothing about? Or the family she was only related to by love? Sighing deeply, Paige watched two young girls having a snowball fight in the front yard with their father. She could see the mother standing in the doorway, holding what looked like a steaming apple pie. Rolling her eyes, Paige blinked, trying to get them out of her head.  
  
"You only see stuff like that in movies." She scolded herself, turning away from the window. The coach was practically empty - many people were at home, celebrating the holidays with family. Family. Paige desperately wanted her family, but the confusion had set in. She no longer knew who her family where.  
  
Feeling her cell phone start to vibrate, telling her that someone was phoning, Paige reached into her pocket and held it up to her ear.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Paige, you'd better get back here. Your parents have sent out the police. Didn't you phone them?" Cassandra demanded. "The police have already been over here. I had to say I didn't know anything, just thought that you'd gone home from school. Didn't you phone them?" She repeated. Paige's hand flew to her mouth.  
  
"No - I completely forgot. Oh, God. Are they really upset?"  
  
"Distraught, more like. It's been seven hours since you were supposed to get home from school, they're terrified, thinking you're dead or something. Stupid, how could you forget? I can't cover for you, Paige."  
  
"I'll phone them now." Paige decided. "Cass, I'm really sorry. I can't believe I forgot. What did you say to the police?"  
  
"Just that I'd waved you on the bus home. Which was true, kinda. You were taking the bus home." Saying goodbye, Cassandra hung up, and Paige stared at her cell phone in shock.  
  
"I am." She said slowly, excitement building up inside her. "I am, I really am. I'm going home."  
  
A smile spreading across her face, she hastily dialed her home number. Almost instantly her mother answered. "Mom?"  
  
"Paige? Thank God - where the hell are you?"  
  
"Uh - I'm on the bus."  
  
"The bus? To where?"  
  
Paige swallowed hard. "San Francisco."  
  
"San Francisco? What the hell are you doing going to San Francisco? That's miles away! Paige, what are you doing?" Olivia demanded frantically.  
  
"Mom, I - found the letter from my mother. Biological mother, I mean. And she left an address."  
  
"Paige, I don't understand." Olivia was practically in tears. "It's almost Christmas. Don't you want to be with your family for Christmas?"  
  
"Of course I do! But now that I've found out my biological parents and sisters are alive - I'm sorry, Mom, but I can't go through life never knowing them. I love you, and all that you've done for me, but I have to find them."  
  
"Why now? Why not after Christmas? It's a time for family, and you're not even going to be here. Is it something I said? Or your father?"  
  
"No, God, of course not!" Paige saw that she was getting nowhere. "Mom, I gotta go. Call off the police search - I'm not coming home until I've met my real - biological family." She winced at the slip of her tongue, knowing she had made a mistake. Olivia fell silent.  
  
"Paige, I love you. Be careful, okay?"  
  
"I'll try and be back before Christmas." Paige whispered, pressing the end call button and slipping the phone back into her pocket. With another deep sigh, she rested her chin in her hands and stared at the back of the seat in front of her. A passing sign gave her a jolt, and she stared at it in shock. It said:  
  
"Welcome to San Francisco."  
  
That was it. She was really home.  
  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Keep it up! *grin* 


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